This Man's Army
by JackSpratGirl
Summary: Based on the events of the movie, with my added character based on actual person. The boys must save Private Ryan but their interpreter isn't who you think...
1. Upham's Luck

This Man's Army:

Ch. 1- Upham's Luck

Three bookish corporals hover over map tables like studious nerds the day before finals. They're breaking down and gridding field maps and covering them in plasticine; tedious, detailed work.

"I'm looking for Corporal Upham." Miller calls out as he strides into the small field office. The Corporals all stand at attention.

"Sir, I'm Upham." A black haired boy says saluting Miller.

Miller looks the boy over, he's lean and his shoulders stoop like those of most scholars.

"I understand you speak French and German,"

"Yes sir."

"How's your accent?"

"A slight one in French but my Germans clean with a touch of Bavarian." The nervous corporal states, Miller watches calculatingly trying to determine the character and the usefulness of the Corporal.

"Good, you've been reassigned to me, get your gear, we're going to Nueville."

Upham nearly trips over his own feet; he knows enough geography to know what that means.

"Umm sir, there are Germans up at Nueville."

Miller ignores him and studies a map with another aide. The aide looks at Upham sympathetically.

"That's my understanding Corporal."

Upham gulps, "Lots of Germans, sir."

Miller looks at him with a clear look of annoyance,

"That a problem, Corporal?"

"Well yes, sir, considering that I've never been in combat. I make maps and I translate."

"I need a translator, all mine have been killed." Miller explains turning back to the map. The blunt response from the Captain shocks Upham and he blinks a few times before arguing again.

"But sir, I haven't held a gun since basic training."

"Did you shoot it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well then there's no problem, it'll come back to you." Miller stands and starts to tell the Corporal to get moving when another G.I. steps up to the Captain.

"Captain Miller,"

"Yes Private?" Miller asks looking at the young man in aggravation.

"Colonel Anderson wants to speak with you, sir. I believe he has a battle tested translator."

Miller nods curtly and turns to Upham.

"Your damn lucky Upham."

With that he follows the Private to a group of officers and a private whose face is hidden by his helmet. Anderson gazes at the Private with disdain.

"Miller, this is Private Lee, we have a problem." Anderson says and pulls off Lee's helmet.

"A woman?" Miller asks in disbelief.

"Yes, and women are not allowed in combat," Anderson says as if to clarify this to the Private. "There for this little lady will be going home, which is why she's going with you."

"Excuse me sir, how is this supposed to help me?" Miller asks trying to control his anger.

"This little lady is rather talented. She speaks three different languages, and she made it through the first wave on the beach. That means she's been in battle and can help more than the Corporal who was supposed to go with you."

Anderson and Miller stare each other down, neither wanting to give up, but Miller relents and turns to Lee.

"Private, do you speak both French and German?"

"Yes sir." Lee says standing at attention and looking straight at her superior.

"How's your accent?"

"Clean for both, sir," Lee states smoothly.

"Good, you know how to handle that gun your carrying?"

Lee bites her tongue then replies,

"Yes, sir."

"Alright then, since I've got no other choice, you'd better follow me." Miller says and stalks off. Lee takes her helmet back from Anderson, mockingly salutes him and jogs after the Captain.

The squad is sitting haphazardly around joking when Wade notices the Captain returning and Lee following behind. The other guys' eyes bulge at the sight of a woman in army drab.

"Damn, who is she?" Reiben asks looking Lee up and down.

"Our new interpreter, pack up your gear boys we're leaving, now." Miller states and turns away.


	2. Mission: Fubar

This Man's Army

Ch. 2- Mission: FUBAR

Disclaimer: I don't own anything…

A/N: I do want you to please review who should and shouldn't die in this fic, I'm having a hard time deciding to kill off characters that I love so much! Give me a reason as well!

They'd made it half a dozen miles away from the beach before anyone made a sound besides Miller rattling out orders. As they crested a hill and moved onto yet another French field the silence was broken by Lee standing in front of Caparzo at the back of the formation.

"Caparzo keep staring at my ass and I'll put a hole in yours."

"How the hell does she see that?" Caparzo asks Mellish who chuckles.

"Eyes in the back of her head. All women can do that," Wade explains from his spot next to Miller at the center of the formation.

"How do you figure?" Mellish asks Wade looking at Lee curiously.

"My mother and sister do it all the time, they always know when I'm screwin' around behind their backs!"

Lee smiles shacking her head at the boys and turns around and grabs Caparzo's cigarette and takes a long drag on it before handing it back to him, blowing smoke out her lips.

"You wanna explain the math of this to me? I mean what's the sense of risking the lives of eight of us to save one guy." Reiben asks though he's constantly scanning the area around the front of the formation.

"Anyone wanna answer that?" Miller asks looking from the map to the area around him.

Wade hunches forward as they climb yet another large hill and says,

"Reiben, think about the poor bastards mother."

"Hey Doc, I've got a mother, you've got a mother, Sarge has got a mother. Shit, I bet even the Captains got a mother." Reiben looks back at Miller who is giving him a dubious look, "Well, maybe not the Captain but the rest of us got mothers."

" 'Tis not to reason why, but to do and die," Lee rattles of with an ironic smile.

"Da-dadu-da-dadu-da. What the fuck is that supposed to mean? We're all going to die?" Mellish snaps at Lee. Before Lee can retort back Miller explains for her.

"Lee's talking about our duty as soldiers, we all have orders and that supercedes everything including your mothers."

"Yes Sir," Lee says looking at Miller in curious awe.

"Even if you think the missions Fubar sir?" Reiben asks his eyes still trailing the landscape around them his finger near the trigger of his gun. Miller smiles slightly, folding the map and putting it in his pocket.

"Especially if you think the missions Fubar."

"Sir, I have an opinion on this matter," Jackson states in his strong southern twang.

Miller's eyes dance with amusement even as the rest of his face stays neutral,

"Well then by all means share it with the squad."

"Well, from my way of thinking, sir. This entire mission is a misallocation of valuable military resources."

"Yeah, go on." Miller says waiting for Jackson to get to the point.

Jackson continues on, completely serious.

"Well it seems to me, sir, that God gave me a special gift and made me a fine instrument of warfare."

"Reiben, pay attention now," Miller says and points his thumb at Jackson, "This is the way to gripe. Continue Jackson,"

"Well, what I mean by that sir is that if you was to put me and this here sniper rifle anywhere up to and includin' one mile of Adolf Hitler-with a clear line of site, sir. Pack your bags fellas wars over."

Everyone but Reiben smile shacking their heads.

"That's brilliant bumpkin," Reiben says sarcastically. He pauses for a minute thinking, "So what about you Captain? You don't gripe at all?"

"I don't gripe to you Reiben. I'm a Captain, there's a chain of command. The gripes go up, not down, always up. You gripe to me, I gripe to my superior officers. So on and so on, I don't gripe to you. I don't gripe in front of you. You should know better, you're a ranger."

"Well, I'm sorry, sir, but lets say you weren't a Captain or that I was a major. What would you say then?" Reiben tosses a quick look over his shoulder to Miller who looks at Reiben in disbelief.

"Well in that case, I'd say: This is an excellent mission, sir, with an extremely valuable objective, sir, worthy of my best effort, sir. And more over, I feel heartfelt sorrow for the mother of Private James Ryan and am willing to lay down my life and the lives of my men, especially you Reiben, to ease her suffering." Miller rattles of exaggerating his sirs.

Reiben looks disappointed but the rest of the squad is smiling.

"He's good." Mellish says smiling and shaking his head.

"I love him," Caparzo says with a smirk and then a kiss at Mellish who snorts with laughter.

The silence once again resumes as they continue towards Nueville.


	3. Melancholy

Ch. 3 Melancholy

The squad traveled for several miles only hearing distant small arms and mortar fire and an occasional grenade explosion. They kept fairly quite traveling along cow fields mostly and the time was spent thinking and daydreaming.

Lee used the time to study the squad. She took in their appearances and their mannerisms. These seven men had been through hell only three days before and here they joked with each other and smiled at each other. These men were brothers, for the rest of their lives these men were brothers.

Lee shook her head at her own melancholy; she really was too girly for her own good. What would she do with the information about these men? Write a book, that's the only plausible thing she could do. Yeah, maybe she'd write a book.


End file.
